Good Servants Are Hard To Come By
by QuirkySmile
Summary: The four times Merlin saved Arthur, and the one time he needed saving. No slash!
1. On Boot Laces and Chicken Bones

**This chapter takes place sometime during season one, chapter two is in season 2, and so forth with the rest of the chapters (there will be 5). **

**I tried my best to fix any grammatical errors, and I had my sister beta for me, but if you spot any we missed, don't hesitate to point them out.**** ~Quirk**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the TV show Merlin, or any characters or places associated with the show. I'm still working on obtaining Bradley James, though he won't return my calls...**

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It was only a simple meal; Merlin had prepared it himself with the utmost care that he could manage. By 'utmost care' it was meant that, unseen, the manservant of the royal prince of Camelot had snuck into the citadel kitchen. He took only a small amount, so as not to be noticed by the overbearing and surly head cook; a couple pieces of roast chicken, two slices of freshly baked bread (taken from separate plates), and a handful of grape tomatoes. There was a bowl of chocolate pudding Merlin had set aside to serve as the prince's dessert. This had been the most difficult item to acquire. He had had to take a spoonful from fifteen separate bowls to fill the small bowl he had taken. Even with his efficiency and sneaky-ness, he still could've swore that he saw the cook give him the stink eye, as he rushed out of the crowded and busy room.

Half an hour later, Merlin was on stand-by as his blonde-haired master ate the food, the food he had taken such a precaution to obtain, in an overly agonizing slow manner.

The young man had to roll his eyes, in an over exaggerated manner, at the royal, who merely grinned cheekily up at his waiting servant.

Arthur knew it bothered the raven-haired boy, to no end, to have to watch people eat, and he loved to annoy Merlin at every possible opportunity.

Arthur wasn't long into eating when Merlin's thoughts began to drift away from his task at hand. He had thought of the many different ways he could cause Arthur to suffer. Stab him with the knife? He looked longingly at the sharp piece of metal resting on the table. He decided it was too far away, and he wouldn't be able to grab it quick enough before Arthur realized what he was attempting. He thought some more, tie the prat of a prince to the chair with his own belt? Again, Arthur would be too suspicious…and it would be hard to explain why he was messing with the garment that held the prince's pants up. Tie his boot laces together? Now, that one actually held some possibility. Merlin would merely have to cause a commotion, get under the table, and then his dastardly deed would be done. A smile slowly crept over the young warlock's face.

Presently, the pitcher of water he was holding 'slipped' from his grasp and fell to the floor with a great clatter. The prince was splashed with multiple speckles of ice cold water.

"Ugh! _Mer_lin! How can you be such an _idiot_ without even trying? Clean this up. Now!" Arthur demanded. His voice was filled with an extreme amount of aggravation, directed at his, seemingly, incompetent manservant.

"As your royal pratness commands," Merlin mumbled so that the prince could not hear him. Meanwhile, he was attempting to hold in the giggles that were trying, so hard, to escape his lips. One did manage to escape, though. Merlin tried to cover it with a cough, but failed miserably.

"What was that?" Arthur questioned.

"I said: at once, your highness, then I coughed." Arthur looked at him suspiciously, but let it pass with no further inquiries.

Merlin grabbed one of the nearby cloth napkins, ready to dab up the liquid that rested as mini lakes upon the stone floor. But first, he crawled over to the prince's feet and, as carefully as he could, untied the laces, and then retied them together. He smiled triumphantly. He, then, began to wipe up the water as fast as he could, so as not to raise suspicion.

Soon, he heard Arthur begin to slam his fist down on the wooden table he was currently cleaning under.

"Ha, ha. Very funny, Arthur. I'm going as fast as I can." The prince continued to hit the table until Merlin could take it no longer. He stood up, ready to give the prince as cool a glare as he could muster. His anger was cut short at the sight of his master.

Arthur's lips had begun to take on a bluish hue, and his eyes were on the verge of bursting out of their sockets. His hands were scratching frantically at his throat.

It took Marlin only a moment to take in the scene before him,

"Sire, you're choking!" Even in his state, Arthur managed to give his servant a look of complete disbelief that said 'no-really-I-never-would-have-known!'

Merlin sprang into action, all thoughts of his prank completely leaving his mind in his hast. He pulled the prince up and out of his chair, stood behind him, and used his hands to thrust at Arthur's abdomen; Merlin hoped to drive the food article out of his throat. The prince began to go slack, but Merlin shouted out,

"Don't you dare die on me!" With a final thrust, a bone, from the chicken Arthur had been eating, flew out of the royal's mouth.

The prince gulped the fresh air in, in a choking manner, and Merlin soothingly rubbed his back until Arthur's breathing returned to normal.

"Better?" Merlin asked.

"Yes, thank-you, I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't been here." Arthur's voice was filled with more gratitude and emotion that Merlin had ever heard before.

He awkwardly rubbed at the back of his neck and stuttered out the words, "Yes, well, I was just doing my duty as a citizen of Camelot; got to keep the heir to the throne alive." He paused, and then added, "Can I ask you one question, though?"

"Anything," Arthur responded.

"Why on earth were you trying to eat the bone?"

Arthur grumbled out the word "Idiot" before he attempted a dramatic exit, but, due to the state of his boot's laces, he fell flat on his face.

Merlin's eyes bugged out, as he tried to slide out of the room unnoticed.

"_MER_LIN!" Arthur shrieked out, in frustration, as his laughing servant bolted out the doorway; running for his life.

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**Feed back is welcome, I'd love to hear what you think about this story.**


	2. On Terrible Designers and Pratty Princes

**As I stated in the previous chapter, this one takes place at some point during season 2, I was thinking that it is before Morgause comes in, but only a little.  
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**I tried my best to fix any grammatical errors, and I had my sister beta for me, but if you spot any we missed, don't hesitate to point them out.**** ~Quirk**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the TV show Merlin, or any characters or places associated with the show. I finally got a call back from Bradley James (well, his agent)! He said something about a restraining order...  
**

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Arthur's face slowly appeared over the top of a large boulder. His eyes shifted about as he took in all of his surroundings, from his vantage point of stealth. Almost immediately after the light tufted head appeared, a dark tufted head made itself known.

"Do you see anything?" Merlin questioned, in a hushed voice.

"No, let's keep moving," the prince replied in a normal tone of voice. The two got up, Arthur taking the lead. His red cape billowed out behind him in a very regal manner: catching the wind just so, so as to make it look as if he was gliding across the leaf covered ground.

Merlin huffed out in indignation. No matter how many times he had explained to the prince that the cape was an idiotic asset to the 'Official Knight of Camelot Uniform,' Arthur refused to listen. Truly, the bright red color of the fabric made absolutely no sense what-so-ever! Why on earth did the person, who designed the uniform, choose the brightest color imaginable? There was no possible way a person could be stealthy while wearing it. It was no wonder no one knew who the man, or woman, was. Merlin wouldn't have wanted to be held accountable for all of the trouble the cape had caused the knights of the royal court, the soldiers, and the guards of Camelot.

The two young men were on an 'intelligence gathering mission of reconnoiter-ness' as Arthur smartly called it (Merlin just referred to it as 'sneaking about'), in Bayoned's kingdom.

So far, the twosome hadn't run into the least bit of trouble, unless you counted savage bunnies, falling twigs, and the evil intentions of the flowing scarlet cape. Of course, Merlin didn't expect the quiet and uneventful times to last very much longer. Whenever something had the tiniest possible chance of going wrong, it would.

Suddenly, Arthur, who was still a few yards ahead of Merlin, disappeared from the raven-haired boy's sight.

"Arthur?" Merlin called out, anxiously.

"I'm here. Watch your step, there may be more pits about." The prince called back. When Arthur had been walking, he had stepped on what had looked like normal, solid, ground, but had turned out to be a pit covered with a leafy camouflage tarp. More than likely, it was the work of Bayoned's men; a precaution against anyone who might get the inclination to sneak about in his kingdom; a precaution against the very thing that Arthur and Merlin were doing.

Merlin carefully picked his way over to the location he believed Arthur's voice to be coming from. When he reached it, he was greeted with the scene of a very annoyed looking blonde-haired prince, who was sitting inside the pit. The pit looked pretty deep. Merlin approximated it to be about ten feet to the bottom.

"Are you alright?" Merlin asked. His voice was filled with worry, and his brow furled up with concern.

"Oh, yes. I'm great. Just about to have a cup of tea, actually. Of course I'm not okay! I'm trapped in a pit!" Arthur started out his rant in a nonchalant manner, but ended up spitting out the last bit between gritted teeth, all while flailing his arms about in an exaggerated way.

Merlin blinked and set his mouth in a way that showed he knew his question had been a ludicrous one, before saying,

"Right… Don't worry, I'll get you out."

"That's reassuring," Arthur said rolling his eyes, and not sounding at all reassured. "Just hurry up. Nightfall is soon, and I don't want to be stuck down here when it arrives."

Merlin contemplated how he could get the prince out of the hole. He couldn't just use magic and expose himself: he would end up burning at the stake. Merlin shuddered at the thought. Being fastened to a pyre and surrounded by hay, doused with oil, with a knight holding a burning torch? It was a nightmare strong enough to keep the secret warlock awake many a nights.

"Any day now, Merlin," Arthur called up impatiently. The prince flipped his cape off his shoulders in an agitated manner, and set it on the floor of the pit.

A light went off in Merlin's head. "That's it!" He shouted out with glee.

"What's it?" Arthur demanded.

Merlin ignored his master's question, and said, "Throw me up your cape." Arthur tossed up the red piece of material, with a surprising lack of objection, even though he did narrow his eyes in suspicion.

Immediately, Merlin used a hunting knife to cut the cape into long strips.

"Oi! What are you doing to my cape? I don't like the sound of tearing!"

Merlin smiled a little to himself, there was the objection he had been waiting for, but would he be complaining after his life was saved? He decided to ignore the prince, and began tying the strips together. Then, after he had tied one of the ends to a nearby tree, he tossed the make-shift rope down the pit.

"Now, pull yourself out," Merlin instructed.

After a few minutes, and a little more assistance from Merlin (though the prince of Camelot would never admit to anyone that he hadn't been able to pull himself up over the edge), Arthur was safely freed from the captivity of the pit.

The prince took a minute to catch his breath, and Merlin waited expectantly: he tapped his foot, he crossed his arms over his chest, and he widened his eyes and moved his hands around in an 'I'm waiting' sort of way.

"Come on, let's head back to Camelot," Arthur said, as he used his sword to lift himself up off the ground.

"Really? I just saved your life, and you have nothing to say to me?" Merlin said aghast.

"Well, I wouldn't say you saved my life, exactly."

"How else would you have gotten out of that pit, if it weren't for me?" Merlin demanded.

Arthur rubbed the back of his neck, "I would've thought of something."

Merlin shook his head, stormed away in the general direction that Camelot lay, shouting over his shoulder, "You're unbelievable!"

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**Hope you enjoyed reading chapter 2! Feedback is appreciated, I'd love to hear anything you have to say. **


	3. On Visiting Queens and Quick Thinking

**You know how it goes now, this chapter takes place sometime during season 3.**

**I tried my best to fix any grammatical errors, and I had my sister beta for me, but if you spot any we missed (or think that I worded something wrong or in a confusing way), don't hesitate to point them out.**** ~Quirk**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the TV show Merlin, or any characters or places associated with the show. I got the "official" paper declaring that I'm not allowed within 30 yards of Bradley...AND HE SIGNED IT!**

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Merlin had been watching Queen Caeli with a close eye for a little over a week now. She had been a visitor in Camelot for some time. She had come from some kingdom Merlin couldn't remember the name of. She had seemed unthreatening, at first, but lately she had been keeping too watchful an eye upon Arthur; a watchful eye that made Merlin quite suspicious.

Though, he couldn't outright accuse her of having evil intentions, not until he had proof. That was, if there was any proof to obtain. Every time he tried to catch the woman in an act of deceit, she would easily explain the situation so it would seem normal: why was the Queen carrying a dagger whilst stalking through the prince's corridors? Well, of course, she was on her way to the blacksmith (to get the dagger sharpened), and had made a wrong turn and gotten lost. Why was she in the kitchens hovering over the prince's meal? Obviously, she was starving, and was here to just grab a quick snack before the banquet that night. Those, along with numerous other incidents, were how Merlin's past week had been unfolding.

So, he was done trying to warn Arthur of the queen's evil intentions. He merely saw to his normal duties, and was observant of all the things that Queen Caeli did; ready to stop her when the right time came.

It was the day before Queen Caeli and the rest of her royal party were going to be departing from Camelot, and a royal feast was to be held in her honor. The whole working class of the citadel was in chaos with people running to and from the ballroom with dishes, flowers, streamers, table cloths, and other necessary things for a feast.

The cook had worked all morning-and well into the afternoon-preparing the meal plans that King Uther had so carefully drawn up for her: three pigs slowly roasted over an open flame, thrice backed potatoes (Merlin still had no idea how the cook had managed that. How could you cook a potato three different was? All on the same potato!), stuffing infused with pork and bacon juices, fresh vegetables of numerous sorts, not to mention the many other dishes that were so complicated that Merlin couldn't even describe what they were.

After all of the eating had been completed, and the servants were busily at work clearing away the dishes, Uther stood up and began the customary speech. "During these past few weeks we have been honored to be able to provide a home to our wonderful guests, and new allies," King Uther declared to the filled ballroom, a polite round of applauds followed the address.

Queen Caeli smiled and reached a hand out to accept the king's own out stretched one.

"Now that our two provinces are united under the same goal, we shall be able to remain under peaceful terms." More enthusiastic applauds erupted.

As Queen Caeli sat back down, Merlin caught the glint of something purely evil flash through her eyes.

Instantly, his guard was on the alert. He didn't know what she was planning, but he knew she was going to do it tonight, more than likely during her return address to the king.

Queen Caeli stood up, and one of her small servant boys brought in a small wooden box, and handed it to her. Then the boy hustled out of the way as quickly as possible.

"In celebration of this new friendship, I would like to present your kingdom with gifts," Queen Caeli said, with an endearing smile. She lifted the lid of her box, and stuck her hand inside.

Uther returned her smile with a pleasant one of his own.

From her box she pulled out a dagger, the dagger Merlin had seen her stalking in the corridors with, and handed it to Uther, "To symbolize that we will always draw our weapons and come to thy aid; though, we hope that the need shall not arise for battle anymore." Uther accepted the dagger with an incline of his head.

She reached her hand back inside the box, and retrieved a flower, and said, "To symbolize that the fruits of our kingdom are always open to you, should the need arise."

As soon as Merlin has seen the flower, he had drawn in a deep gasp. It looked like a tiger lily, only its leaves were blue, and it had small fleck of pink coloring its petals. The flower was unmistakable. Merlin had seen it pop up in the pages of Gauis' medical books so many times. It was an Orakni flower. One sniff of it, and it would knock you out. The poison inhaled would slowly seep into the veins, and spread throughout the entire body: killing you from the inside. There was no way of stopping it, outside of using magic, that is.

During Queen Caeli's speech, Merlin had stealthily made his way over to the royal table. He was determined to intercept the flower before it could cause any damage to take place.

Just as Arthur was about to accept the flower, his servant roughly bumped into Queen Caeli, causing the Orakni to slip from her grasp, and fall to the floor. Merlin eyed the flower, and then quickly crushed the blue petals with his leather booted foot.

"Merlin, what are you doing?" Arthur hissed and his eyes darted about in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, sire, it was an accident." Merlin apologized, whilst mentally sighing in relief that the danger had been averted. For one more day, at least, the royal family was safe.

King Uther tried to keep his temper in check, as he apologized to his lady guest, "I am truly sorry for the delinquency" He spat the word "of my staff. We shall see that he receives his due punishment." His eyes narrowed at Merlin, who gulped rather loudly under the king's cool stare. Uther looked back at Queen Caeli, and continued, "Your symbol of unity is still appreciated, and accepted, though. You may expect the same hospitality that you offer to be extended upon your kingdom, by mine."

Queen Caeli managed a smile, but she narrowed her eyes at Merlin. Merlin caught Morgana's eye, and he could have sworn he heard her hiss as she turned her head away from him in disgust. Apparently Morgana was caught up in this deceit. Figures, Morgana could always be counted upon to be involved with anything that had to do with exterminating her father and half-brother.

Merlin retired from the royal table with a bow to all four of the royals, and returned to his position next to Gauis, who patted him on the back and gave him a knowing smile.

"Well done," the court physician congratulated, and his eyes crinkled shut as his smile grew with the pride he had felt toward his charge.

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**I would love to hear of any and all comments, questions, praise, or dislikes you may have...well, I'd prefer you didn't have any dislikes, but I'd still love any feedback you have to throw at me: I can take the good or bad! ~Quirk**


	4. On Clumsy Servants and Sneaky Bandits

**This chapter takes place after season 3, but before season 4 begins.**

**My sister wasn't availible to beta this for me, so there could be quite a few grammatical errors that I missed. It is supposed to be in the past tense, but I find that I always start to confuse myself with keeping the tense the same. So, if you find any errors, please point them out to me. I'll probably have my sister beta it later, and then re-upload the chapter, but I wanted to keep with my update every Tuesday policy. If you'd like to beta this chapter for me, send me a PM and we'll work it out then :). ~Quirk**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the TV show Merlin, or any characters or places associated with the show. I went to a craft store to get my restraining order professinally framed, and the dude doing it gave me the strangest look (he _so _doesn't understand how important that signature is to me :P).**

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Merlin, Arthur and the rest of the Knights of the Round Table were on a hunting trip in the Darkling Woods. It was a familiar scene: all of the men were on horseback. Prince Arthur (who now served as the Prince Regent of Camelot because of his father's, King Uther, illness) and Merlin rode side by side at the front of the group, and the rest of the knights rode in single file behind them.

The knights and servant had come to the section of the woods in which the path they were following ended. The men dismounted from their horses, and then they tethered them to the nearby trees. They collected their weapons from the saddlebags, before they continued along by foot.

Arthur and his six knights, Sir Leon, Sir Gwaine, Sir Percival, Sir Lancelot, and Sir Elyan, were all as stealthy as mice as they crept along through the leafy underbrush. Arthur's manservant, Merlin, on the other hand, couldn't have made his presence better known if he were an elephant.

He stepped on, and snapped, every twig, he rustled every bush, his foot splashed noisily in every puddle, and he tripped over every root.

Though they tried to hide it, the prince and most of the knights had begun to get extremely agitated. All except for Gwaine; Gwaine would never have been able to get seriously angry with his clumsy little friend. He merely snickered at every misstep the servant took, and he was secretly keeping a tally in his head of all of the times Merlin stumbled. He hoped to be able to use the information to get a tankard of ale out of the young man, later on in the evening.

Finally, Arthur was about to have every last bit of his patience snapped, and he lashed out in annoyance, "Would you cut that out, _Mer_lin? There's no way we'll catch ever anything with all of the ruckus you're making, _Mer_lin! Sometimes I wonder why I even bring you along on these excursions, _Merlin_." Each time his had said his manservant's name his tone got more, and more demeaning, and by the end of his tirade his left eye had a noticeable twitch.

"I'm sorry, sire. I don't try, it's like the twigs want to be stepped on!"

"Really, _Mer_lin, that's your excuse? They 'want' to be stepped on?" Arthur said unconvinced. All of the knights laughed; Merlin smiled sheepishly as his cheeks flared crimson with embarrassment.

"Don't worry about it, mate," Gwaine said, as he clapped Merlin on the shoulder, "We know you can't help that you're a 'little' clumsy." He teased, his thoughts still returned to the ale he hoped to get later on.

"Gee, thanks. I don't know-" his next words were cut off as Arthur raised his hand up as a signal for silence.

"Did you hear that?" The prince asked. Immediately, all the knights were on the alert as they strained their eyes and ears, looking and listening for anything that seemed to be out of the ordinary.

Suddenly, from the trees, sprang out a pack of, what Merlin guessed to be, forty bandits.

Swords started to flash in the afternoon sunlight, and screams of pain came from the enemy. All around him Merlin witnessed his friends fighting with one, or more, of the other men. He chanted his spells, and his eyes would flash gold so quickly it was hard to tell that they really should have been blue, as he used his magic as best he could to fling the men into the trunks of the surrounding tall trees, which knocked them senseless. At least, he hoped he was only knocking them out. He hated to have the death of a man on his hands, but he was doing it in self-defense; and he was trying to keep his destiny alive for at least a little while longer. The two of them still had a long way to go before he could get the Once and Future King on the throne, and on his way to building up the Kingdom of Albion. If Arthur died right now, it would really put a damper on that goal, and Merlin really didn't want to risk having it left to chance.

In the corner of his, for the moment, bright blue eyes, Merlin noticed a stray bandit hiding behind one of the thick trunks of the trees; the man's focus was directed towards Arthur. He saw that the prince was fighting off five different bandits, all on his own. There was no way that he would ever have been able to notice the man who had crept up behind him, lifted his sword, and was getting ready to strike.

"Arthur, look out!" Merlin screamed out in warning. Arthur remained oblivious; he couldn't hear his servant amidst all of the noise of the surrounding shouts, ringing of swords as they clashed, and an occasional laugh from Gwaine.

All thoughts of magic left his mind as Merlin looked at the man. He had run over, and tackled the man at the waist. They both fell hard to the ground, just as the man was about to bring his sword down upon the prince.

The fights soon began to break off, and the few living, and conscience, bandits scattered and fled into the woods.

"And don't come back!" Gwaine shouted cockily after them.

Arthur turned around to see Merlin lifting himself up off the ground. The bandit, whom the small servant had attacked, had had his head slammed down on a rather large and solid looking boulder, which had dutifully knocked him out upon contact.

"You saved my life." Arthur said in awe. The prince could not believe that Merlin, a mere servant, had just saved his life. Sure, it was the duty of his people to keep him protected, but it never ceased to amaze him when he actually saw it happen right before, or, in this particular case, behind him.

"Wouldn't be the first time, would it?" Merlin asked teasingly, as his eyes crinkled to slits as he smiled. He began to walk away, to check on the other knights to make sure none had been dealt very serious injuries.

"Nor the last, I would guess, Princess." Gwaine added.

"I suppose not." Arthur admitted. He shoved his small manservant in the shoulder as he walked past, and they both smiled. Merlin understood that Arthur, in his own way, had just thanked him for what he had done. Merlin smiled proudly at his prince. For one more day the danger had been averted. He was one day closer to reaching the end of the path that he was destined to follow.

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**Hopefully you enjoyed reading this chapter, it was one of my favorites to write! I'd love to hear what you thought of this chapter. The next chapter is going to be the very last one, and it's going to be a little gory/graffic, but not _too_ much. That one was my absolute favorite to write, so get excited for it next Tuesday! ~Quirk**


	5. On Broken Families and Lasting Bonds

**This takes place after the end of season 4 (I imagine quite a few years later, actually).**

**I had my sister beta this chapter for me, and we tried to find all of the grammatical errors. (I changed it up, this one takes place in the present tense, whereas all the previous ones have taken place in past tense. So, if you find something that isn't in the correct tense please point it out so I can fix it.) ~Quirk**

**Also, Laughy-Taffy the Grape mentioned that it was different that Merlin didn't use magic to save Arthur (in her review for chapter 4). I must've forgot to mention in my author's note for chapter one, but, the basis for this story was the four times Merlin saved Arthur without using magic. So, in case anyone else thought that it was weird, that's why he hasn't been saving the day with his magic.**

**A BIG BIG THANK-YOU to everyone who reviewed, alerted, favorited or even just read this story! You all rock!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the TV show Merlin or any characters of places associated with said show. I just hammered the nail into my wall that will hold up my restraining order :D! [just to be clear to everyone, all of these disclaimer things I've been doing for this story didn't actually happen...just in case someone may have thought otherwise...lol!]**

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War. Camelot is at war.

Cenred's successor, Lot, had declared war upon Camelot this morning, and an all-out battle is taking place just outside of the main city, right before the eyes of Camelot's ruler, the eyes of Camelot's king.

All that King Arthur can see as he looks about himself are the unmoving bodies of fallen men.

The red cloaks of his knights are dyed an darker red by the blood that pours from their open wounds, giving the term 'blood red' an even deeper meaning. The blood stains their pale skin; it gathers in pools surrounding their bodies; it soaks into the earth; it transforms the dirt into mud.

The eyes of his soldiers, who are spread all over the ground as far as he can see, are glazed and lifeless. They stare at nothing, yet Arthur can feel the weight of every single pair resting upon him. He can hear the voice of them all shouting at him as one, telling him to not let their lives have been sacrificed for nothing; telling him to rid Camelot of these invaders, to avenge their lives. Telling him to make them the heroes of the story; telling him to win this battle for their wives and children, for all of Camelot.

The field is painted with the red cloaks of Camelot, and the black cloaks of the opposing force. Arthur can't help but think it looks like a checkerboard. It makes the whole battle feel surreal; it makes the battle look and feel like just a simple game. It all depends on which color, which side of the board, will make the correct move, and send their enemy into a death spiral of loss.

The monarch is at a loss as to what to do. His men are falling much too quickly. His army is sorely outnumbered by the colossal force of Lot's men. Arthur feels like it will be he who will take the downfall. He knows that at any moment Lot will appear and say, "King me!" thus sealing his victory.

But he can't give up, the lifeless eyes beg him to push forward, to keep fighting. Arthur can't let them down by losing hope.

Then, he sees Morgana amidst the enemy. She is waiving her hands about, as if painting intricate symbols in the wind; her eyes are periodically flashing gold. He watches as his men fall as she uses her magic to gruesomely sever their bodies so that, slowly and painfully, their veins will pour the blood from their limbs. His men would suffer tremendously, until death came to relieve them of their turmoil.

It all made perfect sense now. It is no wonder his men are falling so quickly, they have magic on their side. Of course Morgana is helping Lot! She would join together with anyone who wants to bring about the downfall of his kingdom. Arthur can't help but think that Lot has gone too far; he thinks that Lot does not have the right to change the rules of the game; the enemy has no right to cheat.

Morgana catches Arthur's eye, and a slow smirk begins to spread across her face.

Before Morgana can mutter the incantation that will seal Arthur's doom, the king is roughly shoved aside.

Merlin runs by shouting his own spell, and Morgana flies back as the force of the great warlock's anger collides with her.

"Merlin?" Arthur says. Even in the great confusion that is going on around him, he feels calm and wondering at this new development, "You're, you're, you're…"

"A sorcerer?" Merlin offers, with a sheepish grin.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised-" The king's words are cut off as Merlin's face turns into a mask of utter pain.

Merlin's legs give out underneath him, and he crumples to the ground. He stays in a kneeling position for a moment, before he falls forward, face first, into the rain-and blood-soaked mud.

Then Arthur sees it. The small glint shining off the jewels on the hilt of the dagger; the dagger that Arthur remembers giving to Morgana as a birthday present years ago; the dagger that is now protruding from his manservant's back.

"Noooooooooooo!" Arthur screamed, as he watches the still smirking Morgana finish picking herself up off the ground.

Arthur saw red, and it isn't the cloaks, or the growing pools of blood. It is the deep hatred he feels for his so-called sister. He grabs his sword up off the ground, and begins an advance towards her.

"What are you going to do, Arthur?" She said, flaunting an arrogant smile and using a taunting tone of voice. "Kill me? You've already lost your mother, our father. Do you really have the guts to kill me? I'm the only family you have left."

Arthur faltered. Did he? Did he have the guts to actually do it?

"I knew it, you're too weak," she begins to walk towards him. "But I'm not. I want your death to be as slow and painful as possible. I want for you to understand that you stole all which is rightfully mine."

She pulls another dagger out of the folds of her dress, and raises it to strike.

Before she has the chance, Arthur lifts his sword and plunges it part way into her chest, but not quite into her heart.

"You're not my family. My family wouldn't treat me like this. My family wouldn't threaten the lives of my people, the safety of my kingdom. That man you just murdered? He was my family; he was my brother!" And with that, he drove his blade the rest of the way into her heart. He can hear the crunch as her ribs crack in the wake of Excalibur. He smiles with satisfaction at the sound.

Morgana's breath hitches, and her eyes roll back until only the whites are showing. The lids close as Arthur removes his swords and she falls to the ground.

The king rushes over to Merlin, and rolls him over.

"Arthur?" He whispers. Arthur cries out in shock, he's alive!

"Don't talk, Merlin, everything's going to be alright. We're going to get you to Gauis and he's going to make you good as new," Arthur rambles, trying to sound as if he isn't scared to death.

"Arthur?" Merlin closes his eyes, his breathing sounding labored.

Around him, the battle is drawing to a close. With the death of the witch, the Knights of Camelot are able to force the enemy to retreat with ease.

"Sire?" Arthur looked up, tears staining his cheeks. He sees Sir Leon looking at him with worry.

"Go! Go find Gauis! Now!" Arthur chokes out, amidst his sobs of anguish. Leon rushes off in search of the physician.

"Arthur," Merlin breathes out, again.

"I'm right here," the king's voice is laced with emotion, and a fresh flood of tears is threatening to spill forth from his eyes.

"Thank-you."

"For what?"

"For saving my life."

* * *

**Dun-Dun-DUUUUUUUUUUUNNN! I totally ended this story with a cliffhanger, I feel so diabolical!**

**Any feedback you have to throw at me is welcome, I love hearing what you guys have to say :D.**

**Hope ya'll enjoyed reading _Good Servants Are Hard to Come By_! I had a great time writing it. You'll probably be seeing me sometime in the future with new stories, but until then, feel free to check out the other stories I've written! ~Quirk**


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